Obama in State of the Union: Tax wealthy, help middle classWASHINGTON (AP) — Refusing to bend to the new Republican Congress, President Barack Obama unveiled Tuesday night an ambitious State of the Union agenda steeped in Democratic priorities, including tax increases on the wealthy, education and child care help for the middle class and a torrent of veto threats for the GOP's own plans. In a shift from tradition, Obama's address to a joint session of Congress was less a laundry list of new proposals ...

Part of Ohio interstate to be shut for days after collapse CINCINNATI (AP) — A collapsed overpass covered southbound lanes of Interstate 75 with hundreds of tons of concrete and steel Tuesday, following a construction accident that killed a worker and injured a truck driver. The Ohio Department of Transportation said the busy artery through downtown Cincinnati will be closed at least two to three days. "The debris needs to be removed and we have to determine if there is damage to the pavement," spokes...

Obama celebrates MLK DayPresident Barack Obama participates in a service project at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and in honor of Dr. King’s life and legacy, on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Kudzu bugs spread into DC area, southern Delaware, ArkansasNEW ORLEANS (AP) — The pea-sized bugs look a bit like ticks, can suck one-fifth of the yield out of a soybean field, and travel by highway. In the 5 1/2 years since they were first spotted in Georgia, kudzu bugs have spread 400 to 500 miles west and north — as far as Louisiana, Arkansas, Washington, D.C., and its suburbs, and southern Delaware. "We don't know any way to stop it," said Blake Layton, a Mississippi State University entomologist. ...

Police: 2 dead, 1 wounded in central Florida mall shootingMELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man had "several pockets full of ammunition" when he targeted his wife in a shooting Saturday morning that killed two people at a mall food court where the woman worked, police said. Authorities said the shooting happened about a half hour before the mall was to open to customers. Jose Garcia-Rodriguez, 57, of Palm Bay, died at a hospital following an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at Melbourne Square Ma...

Immigrants can now get Mexican birth certificates in US SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The Mexican government Thursday began issuing birth certificates to its citizens at its consulates in the United States to make it easier for immigrants to obtain U.S. work permits, driver's licenses and protection from deportation. Until now, Mexico has required its citizens to get birth certificates at government offices in Mexico. Many of those living in the U.S. ask friends and relatives back home to retrieve the p...

Appeals court rules Oklahoma executions can proceed OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal appeals court has denied a request by four Oklahoma death row inmates for a stay of execution, paving the way for the state's first lethal injection since a problematic execution in the spring. In a ruling Monday, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver denied an emergency motion requested by the inmates for stays of execution. One of the attorneys for the death row inmates, Dale B...

Murder trial of Aaron Hernandez begins with jury selection FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — The murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez began Friday with the judge telling the first batch of prospective jurors that they could still be chosen to sit on the panel even if they had heard about the high-profile case. Hundreds of jurors were expected to file through the halls of the Fall River Justice Center on the first day of the selection process. Hernandez, 25, is charged with killing...

Lawyer: Dad accused of tossing girl off bridge acted strangeST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The man accused of throwing his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge early Thursday had been acting strangely hours before, calling his attorney "God" and asking her to translate a Bible in Swedish, according to sheriff's documents. Attorney Genevieve Torres said she met with John Jonchuck on Wednesday to discuss the custody case for his 5-year-old daughter, Phoebe, who was found dead in Tampa Bay after police said he t...

Brutal cold to blast eastern half of U.S., challenge records in MidwestIn a weather pattern common for January, waves of arctic air will flow from the Midwest to the Northeast and South into the coming weekend. The waves of arctic air coming in this week will be painful for those who have to spend time outdoors, unless properly dressed. In addition to the below-average temperatures forecast, AccuWeather.com RealFeel® Temperatures will be 15-30 degrees lower than the actual temperature at times. RealFeel Temperatu...

Huckabee leaving Fox News show ahead of decision WASHINGTON (AP) — TV host and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he is leaving his Fox News talk show as he considers whether to seek the Republican nomination for president, a decision he expects to reach in the spring. Huckabee told the network that Saturday night's edition of "Huckabee" would be his last as he ponders his political future, Fox News reported. The weekly show, which is taped with a live audience and features political co...

Little Jimmy Dickens, oldest Opry member, dies at 94 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Little Jimmy Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter known for his sense of humor and as the oldest cast member of the Grand Ole Opry, has died. He was 94. Dickens died Friday at a Nashville-area hospital of cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke on Christmas Day, Opry spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt said. Dickens, who stood 4-foot-11, had performed on the Opry almost continuously since 1948. His last performance was Dec. 2...

2-year-old accidentally kills his mom in Wal-Mart HAYDEN, Idaho (AP) — A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother after he reached into her purse at a northern Idaho Wal-Mart and her concealed gun fired, authorities said Tuesday. The 29-year-old woman was shopping with her son and three other children, Kootenai County sheriff's spokesman Stu Miller told The Associated Press. Her family had come to the area to visit relatives, he said. The woman, whose identity was not released, ...

NYC officer mourned at funeral as tensions linger NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of police officers from across the nation packed a church and spilled onto streets Saturday to honor Officer Rafael Ramos as a devoted family man, aspiring chaplain and hero, though an air of unrest surrounding his ambush shooting was not completely pushed aside. While mourners inside the church applauded politely as Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke, hundreds of officers outside turned their backs on him in a show of disres...

Bodies of woman, 3 grandsons found in burned home CINCINNATI (AP) — Three boys who spent the night with their grandmother so she wouldn't be alone on Christmas died with her Friday morning as a fire engulfed her home, authorities said. Fayette County coroner Dr. Dennis Mesker said the badly burned bodies were turned over to the Montgomery County coroner's office for autopsies and confirmation. They were tentatively identified as 60-year-old Terry Harris and three brothers: 14-year-old Kenyon,...

4 dead in fiery Northern California car crash FAIR OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Two vehicles collided head-on in a fiery crash near Sacramento, California, leaving four people dead and two more seriously injured. The Sacramento Bee reported the crash happened about 1:30 a.m. Friday in Fair Oaks, which is northeast of Sacramento on the north bank of the American River. CHP officials say 26-year-old David Mazur was driving his 2003 Subaru Outback north on San Juan Avenue when a 1992 Buick LeSabre dr...

Officers help deliver baby on train on Christmas PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The transit police officers who helped deliver a Christmas baby on a subway train reunited with the newborn boy and his parents Friday morning, trading the chaos of the dingy rail car where they first met for the comfort of a hospital room. Sgt. Daniel Caban and Officer Darrell James — who joined the delivery-in-progress shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday — came bearing souvenir gifts, including a Southeastern Pennsylvania Tran...

Capacity crowds pack screenings of 'The Interview'Critics and early viewers agree that "The Interview" is less than a masterpiece. But thanks to threats from hackers that nearly derailed its release, it has become an event. Hundreds of theaters Thursday, from The Edge 8 in Greenville, Alabama, to Michael Moore's Bijou by the Bay in Traverse City, Michigan, made special holiday arrangements for the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. S...

Officer kills armed 18-year-old in suburb near Ferguson BERKELEY, Mo. (AP) — The mayor of the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley urged calm Wednesday after a white police officer killed a black 18-year-old who police said pointed a gun at him, reigniting tensions that have lingered since the death of Michael Brown in neighboring Ferguson. A crowd of about 300 people gathered at the gas station where Antonio Martin was shot late Tuesday, throwing rocks and bricks in a scene reminiscent of the sometimes-vi...